With the first pick of the second round, the Vancouver Canucks have selected towering centreman Brooks Rogowski at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Rogowski is a 6’7″, 236-lb centreman born in Brighton, Michigan. The American spent the previous two seasons with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. In his rookie year in the OHL, Rogowski scored 11 goals, 12 assists and 23 points in 66 games, following that up with 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 46 games in his draft year.

Here is what EliteProspects had to say regarding Rogowski in the 2026 NHL Draft Guide:

“A 6-foot-7 forward with NHL-projectable skating, Brooks Rogowski possesses one of the most unique profiles in this draft. This combination was enough to attract flocks of NHL scouts to games, but it’s the additional layers to his projection that make him an enticing development project.

“Despite his size, Rogowski has the right proportions and flexibility to assume a deep, stable skating posture and maintain a tight grip on the puck. He carries pucks across the offensive line at a high rate, absorbing contact, shielding possession with his stature, and avoiding pokechecks. He turns the corner on defenders, gains space, and relays passes to teammates.

“Mostly seeing baseline OHL plays from him and not NHL ones, we saw Rogowski as a future checker in the first half of the season, projecting that he could use his range and skating in a defensive role at the NHL level, breaking plays and forechecking for offence, as long as he developed the harder contact game to go along with his wingspan. But as the season wore on, he broke out of the checker mould, displaying a higher level of playmaking ability and offensive instincts than we had previously expected.”

According to EliteProspects, Rogowski is slated to return to the Oshawa Generals for the 2026-27 season and is committed to Michigan State University in the NCAA for 2027-28.

All three of the Canucks’ selections have been used on forwards: Caleb Malhotra, Adam Novotný, and now Brooks Rogowski.